Thor: Who Should Replace JMS?

Share.

With JMS stepping down, we make our picks for the creators who deserve to take his place.

By Dan Phillips & Jesse Schedeen

Marvel fans are still reeling from the news last week that J. Michael Straczynski will be stepping down as writer of Thor in September. Straczynski has two more issues on tap – Thor #603 and the Thor: Defining Moments special. Considering that Thor has been consistently one of the top-rated books by our Review Crew over the past two years, this news has upset us every bit as much as you.

The question now is simple. Who should be brought in to replace JMS? The Babylon 5 creator and former Amazing Spider-Man writer has helped boost Thor's popularity and made the series one of Marvel's top sellers. Any potential replacement will have to continue that momentum while also blazing new trails for Thor. Ideally, a new creative team would be able to help bring the book back to a more consistent shipping schedule.

So far, Marvel hasn't revealed a new creative team. We imagine an announcement will be coming at one of the remaining summer conventions. As we wait for news, we've started to think long and hard on which creators we'd like to see take over the series. This editorial takes a look at the ideal candidates, pairing potential writers with ideal artistic partners.

And we want to hear your thoughts, as well. Let us know who you'd most like to see take over Thor by posting in the comments section below.

As fans start to bicker and argue over which creators should take over the series, I think one obvious choice is going to crop up again and again. After all, JMS, Coipel and Djurdjevic aren't the only ones to leave a significant mark on Thor in the recent past. Last year's Thor: Ages of Thunder mini-series gave the ongoing book a run for its money.

Ages of Thunder was presented as a series of three separate but related one-shots set during an earlier era of Asgard. Fraction focused on the entire width and breadth of Thor's supporting cast, with characters like Odin and the Enchantress taking on prominent roles. It can't be argued that Fraction doesn't have a grasp on the core tenets of the series. He also took a less-is-more approach when it came to Thor himself. Fraction's Thor was a silent, monolithic warrior who spoke softly and carried a big hammer. JMS has shown his own unique approach to writing Thor's dialogue by basing the language of Asgard more on Lord of the Rings and classic fantasy lore than the silly Middle English that used to dominate the series. Fraction's writing might not be identical, but it's certainly in the same vein.

I'm a huge proponent of reuniting creative teams that have worked well together in the past. Fraction certainly meshed with Patrick Zircher on Ages of Thunder. Zircher thrives on the bloody, gritty, medieval world of ancient Asgard. Clay Mann, meanwhile is an artistic chameleon in the best way possible. He's a master of altering his style to suit the tone of a series while still retaining his own unique voice. Mann was the artist who introduced Lady Bullseye to the masses in Daredevil, and part of me regrets that he didn't stick around for the entire arc. Mann illustrated the first half of Thor: Man of War. Those pages convinced me Mann is perfectly capable of blending the grit and blood of Zircher's style with the sleek, cinematic quality of Coipel's issues.

The presence of these two artists would certainly go a long way toward alleviating the chronic shipping problems the series has suffered from. Ideally, it would be preferable to have Zircher and Mann handle individual story arcs rather than share issues, unless Fraction plans of dividing his issues into chapters as he did with Ages of Thunder.

My only concern with this choice is that Ages of Thunder was set in an earlier age long before Thor's life as an Avenger and superhero. By comparison, his Secret Invasion mini-series was a little less impressive. Fraction has also indicated that Invincible Iron Man and Uncanny X-Men take up the lion's share of his energy as a writer. I have no doubt Fraction would be a worthy successor to JMS, but only if he has the proper time to devote to what I can only imagine is a difficult book to write.

As I said earlier, I'm a huge fan of reuniting successful creative teams on new projects. Jonathan Hickman and Ryan Bodenheim certainly fit the classification of a successful creative team. Their work on A Red Mass For Mars is both challenging and engrossing, and I think that would be a winning combination for Thor.

Hickman has only been publishing books at Marvel for about half a year, but in that time he's already proven himself to be a writer who doesn't play by the rules. His voice is distinct, both in terms of dialogue and how he chooses to structure his stories. That could translate very well to a run on Thor. The last thing anyone should want is for a writer to come on board who will try hard to mimic JMS' voice as much as possible. Hickman is fully capable of capturing both the epic mythology and the down-to-earth humor that have defined the JMS run, but his Thor issues will still read much differently. And in this case, different is good.

As for Bodenheim, his work on A Red Mass For Mars shows him to be well-versed in the superhero aesthetic, but like Hickman he has a strongly unique creative voice. Hickman doesn't write just any old superhero story, and nor does Bodenheim draw the standard pinup superhero comic. One change I would like to see with Bodenheim's work is to have a different colorist brought on board. Hickman colors Bodehiem's pencils himself in Red Mass, and while the effect is certainly interesting, a more traditional, lush color scheme would probably be better for Thor.

Bodenheim has apparently finished penciling the final issue of Red Mass. At this point, I fully expect many publishers will be knocking on his door. Marvel might as well take the initiative and allow Thor to be Bodenheim's mainstream breakout project.

As for Hickman, I interviewed him a couple weeks ago, and he confirmed that he's working on another Marvel project that hasn't been announced yet. If I were a betting man, I would have Hickman's name at the top of the short list of creators likely to take over Thor. Marvel needs a major name to headline the series lest they risk losing JMS' momentum. I'd say Hickman has what it takes.

Above almost anything else, Thor requires a writer who is intelligent. We're talking about a series that is strongly rooted in Norse mythology. It takes a keen mind to blend the mythological and superhero elements together without churning out something ridiculous. It also requires a smart writer who can capture the distinct voice of Thor and his fellow Asgardians without having them come across as too hokey and formal or too casual.

Mike Carey is very smart. Pick any one of his past works at random and you'll find deep, nuanced characterization that cuts to the core of who the characters are. X-Men Legacy is essentially a series about Xavier traveling the land and delivering fruit baskets to people he screwed over in the past. But Carey infused the book with incredible depth and, by the end, had molded Xavier into a new and far more interesting person. No matter the character, Carey knows how to dig inside their minds and make them fascinating.

When Rich and I were discussing this feature, one of th very first names that popped up was Neil Gaiman. Gaiman is another incredibly smart man, and his comics are practically Shakespearean in scope. But at the end of the day, I felt like choosing writers who actually stand a snowball's chance in Hell of taking on the gig. Carey wrote Lucifer, a spinoff of Gaiman's Sandman starring the fallen angel. I've heard some call Lucifer superior to Sandman, and while I don't necessarily agree, it proves Carey can operate in the same league as Gaiman. I believe Carey can strike a similar Shakespearean vibe when it come to Thor. And as for the dialogue? That would be the least of my concerns.

As for Doug Braithwaite, he's an artist who has seemingly traveled all over the marvel Universe n recent years. He just recently wrapped up a stint on Wolverine: Origins, giving that book a much-needed visual face-lift. He also contributed to one of the segments in Thor: God-Sized last year. It may have only been a few pages, but Braithwaite captured my imagination. Of all th artists at marvel right now, Braithwaite may actually be the one I most want to see on a regular Thor book. His style is fluid, kinetic, and carries just the right touch of old-fashioned Asgardian muscle.

Together, I feel Carey and Braithwaite could craft a Thor series that is both introspective and action-packed. Thor is a book that can appeal to both the higher and lower functions in our brains. With these two on board, I can already see my IQ increasing as Thor pounds a Frost Giant's skull into pulp.